Information systems and technology management require monitoring of complex systems, as well as, an increased number of tasks for a person to be aware of and handle. Monitoring the integrity and behavior of a complex system, such as a network of computers, may be an important component of information systems (IS) management. As the complexity and number of tasks for monitoring increase, distinctions are required between events or signals that require immediate human operator response (e.g., a critical alarm or notification), and those events which do not require immediate attention (e.g., useful information that provides context but does not require a deliberate or immediate action), for example, information which can be provided peripherally to a user's area of attention. Currently, a user interface may incorporate the distinction between critical and non-critical signals through color coding (for example, red for critical alarm, green for information-only), and/or by placing critical information in the center of a monitor (for example, as a pop-up window which must be intentionally dismissed), while placing less critical information along the periphery of the monitor. However, one problem with the above approach is that information in the periphery of the monitor is often ignored.
It would therefore be desirable to draw the attention of a user in a measured manner without creating a nuisance or unnecessary distraction to the user from a more important or critical task. There is further a need to draw a user's attention for notifying the user that information has become more critical.